Whispers Of Fate: The Girl That Never Was
by Rue Dawn
Summary: Aurelia Dewolfe has read lots of AU fanfiction, but she never expected it to happen to her. Falling into a world you know almost everything about should be easy yet, nothing is as she expected. The butterfly effect has begun and everything seems to be spinning fast out of her control. Can she really change anything or is destiny set? AU Emmett/OC
1. When Lightning Strikes Twice

**Hi Guys,**

 **I know, I know I said no more until my hobbit fanfic is finished but I've hit such a roadblock and I needed to write again like I need air. I hope you like this. Massive shout out to IAmNotAnIgnoramus for being an awesome beta.**

Whispers of Fate: The Girl That Never Was

Summary: Aurelia Dewolfe had read a lot of "Girl falls into the Twilight universe" fanfiction. Usually said girl would fall in love with Edward or Jasper and when she was particularly low on decent stories, sometimes they'd even fall for Carlisle. The idea that she could be one of those girls was entirely possible and that it would happen to her was fanciful and ridiculous. It wasn't something she took seriously, a pipe dream as it were. It wasn't something she'd ever truly wanted. Stories were safe merely because they were fiction and the events within, along with the choices the characters faced, were things you would never have to face in real life. Yet when faced with the situation in reality with a man she never expected, Aurelia's life is flipped upside down as she struggles to make decisions she never before fully understood the difficulty of. Falling into a world you know almost everything about should be easy yet, nothing is as she expected. The butterfly effect has begun and everything seems to be spinning fast out of her control. Can she really change anything or is destiny set? AU Emmett/OC

* * *

Chapter 1: When Lightning Strikes Twice

 _I'm not absolutely certain of my facts, but I rather fancy it's Shakespeare – or, if not, some equally brainy lad – who says that it's always just when a chappie is feeling particularly top-hole, and more than usually braced with things in general that Fate sneaks up behind him with a bit of lead piping. – P.G Wodehouse, My Man Jeeves_

 _Nothing ever happens like you imagine it will. – John Green_

Train crashes, magic portals, wise old women, murder, Aurelia had read it all that year. Fanfictions of people dropping into her favourite universes were easy to come by and normally well written, although none ever entirely quenched her thirst for more stories of a similar nature. She'd watched different characters fall in and out of love with Jasper, Edward and sometimes Carlisle a thousand different ways and still she never got bored. There was something about reading a story containing characters she loved and a well thought out plot. It could be written a similar way a million times but still she enjoyed the somewhat predictable events. It was like reading an old favourite all over again yet the suspense of the first reading was present with every new fanfiction she discovered. Aurelia liked the stories of people from her world going to an alternate universe best because it allowed her to fantasise about the possibility of her in their place. She'd ogle wise old woman types, feel nervous getting on a train, run her small hands over the posters on her walls all with a muted excitement half expecting something to happen. Nothing ever did and for a split second she'd feel her stomach roll and disappointment seeping into her entire being. Then a light giggle would escape her lips as she marvelled at her own stupidity and she'd forget all about it, going on with her daily life. For those few moments though, those slightly insane moments, it was as if electricity tingled in the very air around her. Sometimes her golden blonde hair would seem to stand on end as she waited for something to happen, those moments made anticipation worth it. The moments she spent caught up completely in the author's world unable to imagine a scenario where this story wasn't completely cannon made reading worth it. Aurelia loved fanfiction almost as much as the original works, she often contributed to the archives herself. She loved struggling to keep the characters acting the way they should, planning out exactly how her story should go, and attempting to make her own characters as realistic as possible. All of that effort quickly filled her weekends with as much work as she had on her weekdays. Often the original characters changed the plot to Twilight, took it off in a completely different direction. Often they or their family died making their stay in the twilight universe permanent, ensuring the desired happy ending. Even authors who didn't kill off the family or character to account for the change still included a compromise or loop hole, allowing the character to keep the vampire of their dreams and the family they loved. Why wouldn't they? Stephanie Meyer had after all so why shouldn't they? That was the true lure of fanfiction, that was what really drew her in. Predictability. Fanfiction was safe, you knew around what was going to happen and yet you also could still be pleasantly surprised. You knew the girl from the real world could save the day. You knew she'd win in the end because that was how fanfiction worked. Fans were fulfilling their dreams, making a perfect scenario ending with challenges realistic enough to create the suspense which allowed you to wonder if, just for once, the character wouldn't get it all. Her interests had matured somewhat as she'd grown. She knew now at twenty that, unlike she'd thought at fourteen, her characters did need to face realistic struggles. They needed to have weaknesses and fears. They couldn't possibly be loved all the time by everyone but still, the happy ending was always certain, much like the beginning; a train crash, a car crash, death or magic portal. That was how you got from the real world to another, that was how you moved from unpredictable to predictable.

Real life wasn't predictable. Aurelia hated that. She had a good life, loving parents, a mother who doted on her and a father who spoiled her. She was doing well at university and she was completely satisfied with her life as it was, men firmly kept in fiction. The real world, however, was full of problems. Lazy, drug addicted brothers, an estranged older sister, and the mounting pressure of being her father's last hope of a 'successful' child. Arguments erupted over the tiniest things and real people were never as forgiving as the fictional ones. In fiction it was all resolved quickly, that was not so in real life.

Once again Aurelia was pacing the streets after a blowout with her father. Since she was stricken with a bout of the flu a week before a big assignment deadline, Aurelia hadn't done as well as she'd hoped. Her mother had assured her that she was proud of her anyway; it wasn't the best grade, but she passed with a decent score. Her father on the other hand, he was a different story. Kenneth Dewolfe's face had slowly turned a nasty shade of purple before he had yelled at his daughter, ranting and raving about what he expected of her. Aurelia, never having had a particularly firm grasp on her temper, had screamed back at him.

' _You're such a disappointment Ray.'_ Her father's angry words replayed on a loop in her mind as she stomped down the street. She'd told him she hated him as she practically vibrated from head to toe, her day ruined. She knew she'd messed up; it wasn't something she needed reminding about.

A clap of thunder sounded overhead and the heavens opened. Ice cold rain slammed down upon Aurelia, who wasn't quite fast enough with her hood to avoid looking like a drowned rat. "Great." She grumbled, throwing the thick grey fabric up over her already sopping wet hair. "Set the scene, that's just what I need."

As if the powers that be were answering her, another rumble of thunder crashed overhead and lightning flashed through the sky. "In a horror story, this is where I'd be murdered." Aurelia mumbled as she sloshed through the street towards her small home. "One dark and stormy night…" She mocked, imitating the creepy narrators on the old movies and letting a small snort escape her.

A blinding flash accompanied by an ominous snap seemed to light the whole of the street for almost less than half a moment. This caused Aurelia to jump in shock and raise her face to the heavens, dull blue eyes stretched wide.

 _For a second there I could have sworn…_ A crease appeared on her delicate pale face and her full lips puckered slightly as she surveyed the area in front of her. She had been almost certain that lightning had just struck somewhere.

She hurried forward, head down against the harsh wind that was beating her thick hair against her face and rubbing her skin red raw. Aurelia tried not to think about the possibility of danger. _I just need to get home_. She mentally chanted. _I just need to get home_. A deafening rumble gave way to a second flash-snap that made Aurelia's trembling body stumble backwards. Her heart pounded a fierce war song in her chest and she felt suddenly both hot and cold all at once. That one struck somewhere, she was certain. Desperately shoving her numb fingertips under her armpits Aurelia marched forwards, anxious to get home and out of the danger zone. Adrenaline pumped through her veins and her fear shot sky high. As she rounded the corner she tried to convince herself that since she hadn't seen the lightning strike the ground it probably hadn't actually happened.

After four steps, as another crash of thunder sounded above, she vanished into thin air.

* * *

Ray awoke with a start and pain exploded in her right temple as her head ricocheted off a hard, cool surface. The ear-splitting, prolonged noise had cut off suddenly although Ray quickly followed it up with a low groan, rubbing a soft hand over the sore spot on her head.

"You okay there kiddo?" The gruff male voice caused Ray's eyes to snap open. One sweeping glance was enough to determine she had no idea where she was anymore. Pattering and splattering sounds filled the car, interrupted by a squeak every few seconds as the wipers kept the screen clear. Ray stared dumbly at the large man driving. He had curly brown hair and a thick moustache, his face screaming stern while his body language was gawky and awkward. "You've been asleep since we left Forks, then again you probably needed it…" His words tapered off to a mumble.

Ray's focus was entirely on the one word. Forks. She knew that word, she knew that place. It was in America, it was the setting of her favourite novels, the Twilight Series. Her poor heart had barely slowed before it was springing to life again. This wasn't possible. It was the type of situation she read about in fanfiction. It wasn't real. _Couldn't possibly_ be real. Keeping her eyes carefully trained on the male she pinched herself under the arm, causing a grimace to spring to her face and tears to sting her eyes. Focusing in on the man again she studied his appearance. At a best guess, he was Charlie Swan. What he was to her, however, Ray couldn't be sure.

"I-I'm fine." Her voice was croaky, indicating to her that she had indeed been asleep for a while, no matter how absurd that seemed. Charlie's warm, worried brown eyes met hers and a movie reel slammed into Aurelia's brain. She could see herself, at five years old greeting Charlie outside a white panelled house.

" _Excited to be here kiddo?" The movie Charlie asked, swinging her up into his arms._

" _You bet Uncle Charlie. I even gots a 'merican passport." Movie Ray was missing her two front teeth but her eyes were shining._

" _What?!" The movie Charlie had only the beginnings of a moustache and his fake excitement was clear to the older Ray although, not apparently, the younger. "No way? You're not American are you?"_

" _Yeah I am silly." Ray slapped Charlie playfully on his broad shoulder. "'Coz mummy is so I is too."_

Ray watched the images flicker past her eyes, words she spoke over a decade ago sounding clearer than the sound of the rain pelting the car. She tried to keep the look of shock from her features. The memories came so fast she was sure she'd not paid any of them enough attention, even though thinking of Charlie now made her remember summer fishing trips and one particularly nice visit to Disney in California when she looked barely a teenager.

"It just startled me is all." A deep rooted pang in her stomach made Ray want to ease his worry as quickly as possible.

"People in the big towns like their horns." Charlie chuckled quietly. It was a warm sound which made a slight smile stretch across Aurelia's face, despite her utter confusion. "We'll be there soon, Bella should be landing now."

"Right." Pulling her plump bottom lip between her teeth Ray frowned. She knew _where_ and _when_ she was now. This must be the day Bella moved to Forks.

Stephanie Meyer had described Charlie well, he was slightly awkward and most certainly the silent type. It was something that wouldn't usually match so well with Ray's chatty nature. However, considering the circumstances, she was glad there was no need for idle conversation. Having already established she wasn't dreaming, she pondered other possibilities, a slight crinkle between her eyes the only clue to how bewildered she really was.

' _Coma perhaps…'_ Ray thought, shifting uncomfortably in her seat, trying to ease the heavy feeling in her bum caused by numbness. _'Or I have entered an alternate universe.'_

It was entirely possible she was in a coma. Lightning storms weren't exactly conducive to good health and general well-being. Clicking her tongue against the roof of her mouth, Ray mentally scrolled through her mental catalogue of twilight fanfiction. Assuming she wasn't here to steal Edward from Bella and she wasn't a Bella replacement, the only fathomable conclusion was that she should change things for the better. Possibly prevent the James scenario maybe. Her eyes crinkled at the edges as she considered that, still rolling her lip between her teeth. If she was to change something and this was an alternate universe the effect could be devastating. Walking up to Edward and explaining his future for example, would likely get her killed and also ruin everything. She could only imagine what Edward would do knowing how it would all turn out. Yet, if this was a coma then it was a perfectly reasonable thing to do, if a little boring.

The safest bet was to see how everything panned out on its own. Making a firm decision to put off a proper decision until the situation called for it, Ray allowed herself to relax. Her number one priority would be getting home, whether that be in another universe or just waking from a coma she didn't know but neither of those things could be achieved whilst sitting in Charlie Swan's police cruiser. The only firm thought in her mind was to keep her situation to herself. She would try not to interfere in the story, she wouldn't tell the Cullen family she knew their secret, she wouldn't tell Bella her secrets, she would keep her mouth shut and let Edward and Bella decide their own fates. Perhaps she would play a part in the James situation, perhaps not; meanwhile searching every piece of information that could possibly be obtained which might help her in getting home.

Charlie parked the car, breaks letting off a high pitched squeak. He cut the engine and unbuckled his seatbelt looking expectantly at Ray. With a soft click, Ray's own seat belt came undone and they meandered into the waiting area at the tiny Port Angeles airport. Jittery, leg tapping against the ground, Ray's cool blue eyes scanned the arrivals waiting for the moment Bella Swan would appear; she needn't have looked so hard.

The brunette who stumbled off the plane was roughly her height with matching pale skin, full lips and a similarly shaped face although Bella's was more heart shaped to Ray's stretched oval. Her doe brown eyes caught sight of her father who had leapt up to meet her and they met in an awkward hug. Clumsy and strangely pretty, looking more like Kristen Stewart than Ray had imagined when she read the books, Bella Swan was, much like Charlie, exactly what she expected.

Charlie hefted Bella's bags easily on his own, leaving her with a small duffle looking considerably more comfortable as she stumbled towards Aurelia, her apparent cousin. Truthfully they could have been related. Bella was perhaps half an inch taller than Ray, a brunette to her blonde, slightly bigger eyes of a warm chocolate brown rather than the dark, clear blue of Ray's own, Bella had a slightly fuller top lip than bottom where the opposite was true for Ray and yet, they were both oddly alike, both soft and slender although Ray had more distinct curves, the swell of her breasts for one, yet they could truly be cousins.

"Ray." Bella's eyes met Aurelia's, a deep compassion and genuine interest shining through.

"How are you doing?" Her face morphed suddenly into the gentle mask used on trauma survivors' as Ray was assaulted with memories of Bella as they grew. From what she could gather, she was older than Bella by seven months and they were very close. With the memories completely filling her senses Ray struggled to find an appropriate reply, nothing she was being shown was giving her a clue as to how to respond.

Ray's heart began to pound frantically against her ribs, her mouth feeling dry as she tried to find an appropriate response. Settling for a quick shrug of the shoulders Ray mumbled. "Been better, been worse." It was her Dad's go to answer when he wasn't truly paying attention to the person asking.

Understanding and sympathy flashed across Bella's face and Ray internally marvelled that Edward Cullen was going to have problems reading her expressions. Clearly her cousin had no good answer for that because she pulled Ray into a rather uneasy one-armed hug.

"How are you doing?" Ray blurted as Bella pulled away, feeling the need to move the conversation on some. "Looking forward to life in Forks?"

A grimace caused Bella's lips to turn downwards. "It'll be an experience." The sarcastic tone she used was not lost on Ray who pressed her own lips together in a conspiratorial grin which Bella quickly returned.

Contented in their reunion, or first meeting from Ray's perspective, the girls hurried towards the police cruiser to meet Charlie.

* * *

Ray confused and bewildered as she felt, head still spinning with the influx of new information, was glad to be relegated to the back seat. The genuine excitement she should have felt from riding in the back of a police cruiser was non-existent. Usually her imagination would be running wild, fanciful stories would be weaving together as she transported herself away from the situation at hand to something infinitely more exciting, especially with the lack of real trouble with the law. Ray was the type to be contented letting her mind wander as it pleased, creating something preferable to reality, something exciting and adventurous. Today however calm had finally settled over her overworked heart as her head swam. She rather thought that the fight to keep herself consistent, to somehow wade through the pounding within her mind was the closest one could get to drowning in their own thoughts. Keeping barely an ear on Charlie and Bella, Ray tried to work out what exactly had caused Bella to look at her like a trauma survivor.

 _I have an English accent. I look the same. I am possibly living with Charlie…_ Ray's thought swirled, her mind a whirlpool in the middle of a fierce sea storm, as she desperately tried to guide herself to the correct answer. _My parents are..._

" _A crash involving six cars and a lorry today resulted in the death of nine people on the M20 London bound. The air ambulance was called to junction ten at approximately six forty five pm where a thirty year old female was airlifted to hospital. There were no other serious injuries reported, the eight victims are believed to have been killed on impact. The deceased include five males ranging in ages seventeen to forty seven and three females ages twenty two to forty five. Our thoughts are with their families at this terrible time."_

Coldness, the likes of which Ray had never known spread through her system, seeping slowly from her heart to her toes and brain. He fingers tingled as she made sense of the crystal clear news report. _Twilight is set in 2005; my parents would be forty seven and forty five._ Ray thought, checking the mathematics on her fingers twice in a sort of detached panic before she was ready to accept the news. In this universe her parents were dead. The last thing she had said to her father was that she hated him. Her eyes burnt as she struggled to keep them open, threading her pale, shaking hand through her ashy blonde hair. _I have to get home_.

Ray felt as if she could be shattered with the slightest amount of effort, an ant could likely have toppled her at that point. Firmly, drawing strength from somewhere deep inside, she managed to tune into the conversation about the truck. Bella wasn't pleased with the truck until she saw it if Ray's memory served which, considering it was exceptional, it usually did.

"I like the truck Bella." Ray managed to mumble. "It's sturdy."

Charlie threw her a beaming smile as Bella seemed to contemplate that assessment before thanking her father. Ray had never been more relieved to hear a conversation die out in her life; she drifted into a haze of confusion and sorrow blankly watching the blurs of green forest sweep past the windows, miserably encased in her own emotions until the car stopped outside a faded white panelled house. Bella's exclamation of love for the truck drifted past Ray's ears, barely registering as Ray climbed listlessly from the backseat of the cruiser more than ready to fall into a comfortable bed and hopefully wake up at home in the morning.

Grabbing one of Bella's bags, Ray stomped up the stairs and dropped the bag in the doorway, flopping down onto the single bed with the green sheets and most junk around assuming it to be hers. Bella crying on her arrival in Forks had been something Ray was sure would change with her presence, it didn't. Bella still sobbed, albeit more quietly than she might have in a room entirely her own, as Ray pressed her lips together firmly and desperately tried to ignore the mounting pressure in her chest as she forcibly suppressed her own sobs and tumbled down into a fitful sleep.

* * *

A sliver of harsh dawn light, stretched right across Aurelia's eyes the next morning, rousing her from her sleep with a soft groan. Grumbling crossly to herself, Rey rolled over her eyes resolutely squeezed shut as she snuggled further into the soft green quilt, never having been much of a morning person. As her mind began to defog Ray remembered the day in Forks, Bella and Charlie, the airport and the police cruiser all too clearly for it to have been a nightmare. Cracking her eyes, slightly a misty film making the blue seem somewhat lighter in the early morning Ray recognized the shimmering green bed set from the previous night. Blinking the hazy film away made the room swim into focus and Ray could clearly see Bella's form in the bed opposite taking shuddering breaths.

"Fuck it." She mumbled scrubbing a hand through the already tangled mess she called hair, as she practically tripped out of bed. "Shit." Covering her mouth as she caught herself mid-fall and began to yawn Ray found her footing before stretching high reaching for the ceiling. "Bloody hate mornings." She muttered, kicking her way through the cluttered mess surrounding her bed as she glared at the faded yellow lace curtains she was heading towards. The part in the middle hung open slightly causing the sliver of light to fall directly onto Ray's bed. "Must fuckin' clip them shut or some shit." She whispered after a few experimental tugs told her they wouldn't stay closed alone.

The morning in Forks wasn't exactly bright and cheery; a dank grey fog seemed to hang over the town providing a roof for the world. Ray wasn't a stranger to this type of morning having lived in sleepy English seaside towns or villages all her life but it also wasn't the sort of morning that filled her with joy. _Bella's going to be in a crappy mood._ Ray thought as her eyes swept what little of the view she could see through the fog. _What joy._ Rolling her tired eyes, Ray dug into the dresser grabbing the day's clothes; a faded pair of blue jeans, a grey tank top, a long sleeved checked shirt in black and grey and underwear before stumbling into the bathroom.

Showers were one thing Ray always took in the evening and a sense of wrongness seemed to settle in her gut at a morning shower. As steam began to emerge from the shower Ray shook her head at the sheer absurdity of caring about a shower routine in her predicament, before preparing for her day. Feeling oddly refreshed from her morning shower rather than exhausted as she usually would, Ray left her hair to dry naturally returning to her room to grab her designated 'school bag' a patterned stripe, stripe pattern slouch backpack which was, to her great delight, already prepared. "Fucking ace." Ray mumbled, grabbing her black biker boots, creeping out of the room and heading downstairs.

Ray collapsed onto the sofa after a quick swig of juice, a morning habit she wasn't willing to break, and tightly laced her boots ready for the day. With an hour and a half to spare, she pondered the situation she found herself in. It could be a coma, it still wasn't something she was ruling out, but most likely she'd switched universes. Nervously she toyed with the ends of her damp hair, the likelihood of finding a way to go home disappearing rapidly in front of her eyes. Promising herself she'd start researching as soon as she had the lay of the land here and was sure everything was as it should be, she moved onto the next issue, Bella. Bella was notoriously inquisitive in the book, prompting Ray to be extremely careful about her extra knowledge, the last thing she needed was a family of angry vampires after her. Ray was pretty certain she was going to have to play dumb around Bella for as long as possible, tugging her lower lip between her teeth she idly wondered whether Edward would be able to hear alternate universe related thoughts and hoped that in this at least, she'd catch a break.

"Mornin'." The deep baritone voice startled Ray so thoroughly her heart almost jumped up her throat, and she pitched upwards on the couch before flopping back down again as soon as her brain registered it was Charlie.

"Mornin' Uncle C." Ray yawned.

"Up early Ray." One of Charlie's eyebrows was raised; Ray rather thought he was suspicious of her. "Couldn't sleep?"

Ray lightly shook her head.

Charlie's forehead crinkled. "You know, they wouldn't want you to feel this way right – I know your father wasn't always, look that's not the point – I guess I'm trying to – your parents, they'd want you to be..."

Ray finished when Charlie seemed unable, his melancholy sort of gaze landing on a picture on the mantel. "Happy, I know." Following his line of sight Ray stared at a picture of her mother, her _real_ mother, arms wrapped around a tomato red Charlie. Studying the picture carefully, Ray realised they really did look like siblings, their colouring, their eyes, the way they stood; everything down to the shape of their lips was eerily similar.

Charlie sniffed once, puffed his chest out slightly with a huff of air, his expressionless façade returning as he glanced over at Ray once more. "Breakfast?"

"Never." Ray shot back a small smile gracing her lips.

Charlie's eyes crinkled and his voice took on a teasing tone. "Come on, most important meal of the day…"

Ray let out an undignified snort. "Please, I've seen your dinners, heart attack waiting to happen you know."

Despite the refusal to eat breakfast, mind whirling as she attempted to dredge up the memories for the knowledge she'd unintentionally called upon, Ray followed Charlie into the kitchen just in time to witness the most awkward breakfast in the history of awkward breakfasts. _They really are so alike._

Observing casually Ray watched Bella and Charlie eat in almost complete silence, no conversation really following their morning greetings as they awkwardly stared at the faded yellow cupboards and white lino flooring.

"Well…" Charlie stood, hands on his belt as he surveyed the girls, leg twitching slightly drawing Ray's attention to how truly uncomfortable he must be in their presence. "Good luck at school girls, look out for each other."

"Thanks." Bella's voice was quiet and slightly clipped. Her thanks seemed to hang in the air for a moment before Ray broke the tension.

"Have a good day at work Uncle C." Ray stretched her lips into a tight, yet sincere smile, trying to lighten the mood and show Charlie how truly grateful she was for his kind wishes, her father had rarely wished her luck at anything. "Try not to let any crazy colonials shoot you if you possibly can."

With a last chuckle and a shake of his head Charlie left the house. The only sound came from the clock which seemed to tick in time with Ray's nervous heartbeat. From the books she knew Bella was looking forward to this day about as little as Ray herself but Bella didn't know they were going to face a family of vampires today. Hopefully they'd both come out alive.

Trying fruitlessly to stem the tide of her rising panic Ray's hands fisted in her loose shirt. _What if I'm a singer to one of them too? Oh God, oh fuck, oh no._

Bella's eyes swept around Charlie's downstairs, lingering for a while on certain objects, such as her school pictures a flicker of agitation passing quickly over her face. _Focus on that Ray. Focus on Bella._

"Don't like the snaps?" Ray managed to stutter.

Bella glanced at her, eyes just about shining with an emotion which Ray took to be annoyance. "Little embarrassing don't you think?"

The blonde shrugged clear blue eyes impassive as she could possibly make them.

"Let's go." Bella said, swiftly swinging her school bag over her shoulder. Ray followed her lead more than willing to get out of the house before she passed out. She could hear the blood pounding in her ears now. Fresh air seemed an appealing alternative to fainting.

Throwing on a black leather jacket and snatching the keys right out of Bella's hand as she passed Ray strode towards the truck, unlocking it quickly before getting in the passenger side as Bella secured the house. Watching Bella rush to the truck Ray was somewhat worried she might slip but for possibly the first time in her life, Bella's balance held out. Once she was safely within the truck perched on the faded tan seats which, in Ray's opinion, gave off a tantalising faint tobacco smell, Bella turned to Ray. "So, do you know where the school is?"

"Haven't got a fuckin' scooby." Ray's head lulled back against the seat her legs stretched as far as they could in front of her.

"A what?"

"Oh, a clue." Ray chuckled slightly, amusement dancing in her eyes. "I don't know Bells." She clarified when Bella's expression remained perplexed.

Bella turned the key and the truck roared to life, Ray, who had been expecting it, jolted shocked at just how _loud_ the roar of the engine was. Bella would have stalled had it been in gear, her head almost hit the roof. "Fantastic." Bella griped as the truck began to trundle down the road, a brief smile flitting across her face when Ray managed to tune the radio and make the heat work.

When the girls found the school, Bella idled outside for a moment seemingly lost in her own world. Ignoring her cousins' temporary foray into her own mind Ray dragged her own eyes across the 'school'. "Looks like a bunch of sheds no wait-" Bella snorted as Ray racked her brains for the correct words. "Like maybe lean-to's or, fuck it." Ray frowned, levelling the school buildings with a harsh stare as she nibbled on her thumb nail. "Outhouses. Do you know what I mean?" She glanced at Bella who looked halfway between laughter and outright shock.

"You swear a lot."

"Bad habit." Flashing each other matching cheeky grins, the girls shared what Ray liked to think of as a bonding moment before they entered the car park of the scattered high-school.

* * *

Ray wandered up the small stone path, lined with tiny green hedges good for nothing but tripping over. Bella strode ahead, a purposeful sense to her walk. Ray was not in the same hurry to get the day started that Bella seemed to be, Ray's insides were knotted together; a tangled mess of emotion, confusion and organs she was certain. If anything she felt nauseous rather than nervous.

Catching the swinging door, Ray followed Bella inside. Her insides swirled as the heat of the room hit her, most days it was something Ray expected to be grateful for but today it made her head throb painfully. The office was a mess. Papers were everywhere strewn in baskets which were haphazardly placed behind the counter cutting the tiny room in two. The orange carpet made Ray's head swim, the plastic chairs reminded her of a doctor's office and that irritating clock would not stop ticking. Each resonating tick seemed to strike Ray on the top of the spine and reverberate down to her toes, her teeth clenched and her hands tightened into fists in the pockets of her jacket. The walls had awards covering them and Ray tried to ignore the incessant ticking and make out some of the names, although, without her distance glasses on they were really all blurs.

Bella had begun to speak with the red-haired woman behind the counter who was dressed so casually Ray could hardly believe she worked at a school. _Then again,_ Ray thought, reminding herself the woman wasn't to blame for her exceptionally bad mood today. _I am wearing jeans._

Mrs Cope, as she introduced herself was more than happy to welcome Bella to the school. Peering over the rim of her thick rimmed glasses, her eyes shone, a tentative smile stretching across her face as she glanced to Bella and then met Ray's eyes once more. "You must be Aurelia. I'm so sorry for your loss dear."

Ray's heart warmed at the show of sympathy from this complete stranger and a smile slowly stretched across her own face. "I prefer Ray actually."

Mrs Cope beckoned her forwards with a come hither motion as she began to look for the papers she needed. Eventually and miraculously without knocking over the teetering pile of papers she removed two schedules and two maps.

"I have your schedules right here, and a map of the school." Patient and cheerful Mrs Cope went through Bella's junior schedule and Ray's senior schedule explaining the classes and highlighting the easiest routes to each.

Ray felt a fondness for the secretary well up inside her. Although Mrs Cope's foot tapped impatiently she was never more than polite, kind and helpful to the two girls. Ray watched Mrs Cope's foot wondering about the display of excitement, until it clicked that she would be the first to have seen Bella and Ray except Charlie. Ray's chest shook and she folded her lips in on each other. _Plenty of gossips in Forks._ She reminded herself. _Perhaps this is one of the more easily pleased._

When both girls finally held all their paperwork, including slips for each teacher to sign to be returned at the end of the day, Mrs Cope wished them well, hoping they'd enjoy Forks. Bella tried to smile, Ray took it as something that was supposed to look convincing and though Mrs Cope seemed pleased, Ray's eyes danced with mirth. Bella had managed to achieve the look of uncomfortable constipation.

As Bella carefully navigated her way into the student car park, Ray's eyes seemed drawn to the shiny Volvo. The silver car glistened in the early morning light and Ray found herself rapidly aware of her heartbeat again as the organ thumped against her ribs, the sound of the rushing water filled her ears and the smell of the tobacco wafting into her nose was no longer tantalising a faint hint of peppermint Ray's nose hadn't picked up before mixed with the tobacco making her stomach roll. The Cullens were here. The inevitability of the situation didn't make it any easier to face. Ray's chest felt heavy and she struggled to take in a much needed gulp of air, stuffing her papers in her bag and jumping out of the truck as soon as Bella parked.

Leaning against the damp truck, cool moisture seeping into her clothes and cooling her frayed nerves Ray waited for Bella. Soon enough she hopped out too, barely managing to keep her footing, before striding around to the passenger side.

"No one is going to bite me." Bella mumbled under her breath.

Forcing down a derisive snort and sarcastic comment, Ray sauntered over to her cousin lightly bumping her shoulder with Bella's. "Ready to do this?" Ray's voice sounded, to her own ears, confident and clear. A blessing considering the mess she was on the inside.

"Are you?" Bella's eyes were wide and her skin was somewhat paler than usual which was saying something.

 _Looks like I'm not the only one who's bricking it._ "Come on Bells." Ray's breath fogged in front of her. "Let's get this over with."

Bella and Ray ambled into the school, Bella keeping her hood firmly up, a defence mechanism Ray assumed although personally she preferred to have her ears and eyes at full power. A hood not only cut off peripheral vision but it also muffled noises, the last thing Ray wanted at this particular moment. Leaving Bella at the door to her classroom, possibly in the early stages of a panic attack if her tense stance and rapid breathing was anything to go by, Ray strode through the school until she found her first class. History.

Ray had always loved history. She had a talent for stories and if told well enough the events in a history lesson, important dates, facts and all could seep into her brain and remain there. There were periods of history she knew little about but could guess a lot of merely through applying other historical knowledge and a dash of logic. It was no wonder she'd been placed in an advanced class. Calm once again, breathing even, Ray strode purposefully into the room, apologising for her lateness and introduced herself to the teacher, Mr Higgins a moderately young, enthusiastic teacher with a bright smile. She liked him immediately.

He had a shock of light brown hair, a clean shaven, boyish face and immediately threw a question at her about the monarchy. "How many king Edwards since 1066?"

"Eight. If we're including the Prince in the Tower." Ray handed him her slip a small smile gracing her face.

He grinned, yanking the top of a pen off and signing the slip with a flourish. "Who won World War Two?"

"Technically, allied forces consisting of the UK, USA, Russia, British Commonwealth Nations and a host of other European forces." Ray took the slip back meeting his shining green eyes.

"And in your opinion?"

"The British were obviously the driving force."

Mr Higgins let out a loud laugh as the class groaned. "Thank you Miss Dewolfe for helping me prove a valuable lesson to the class on differing opinions between the nations." Ray's grin was so wide it made her eye's crinkle. "Please," The teacher gestured to the back. "Take a seat at the back and welcome to Forks High School I hope your stay is illuminating and engaging."

Ray turned walking in the direction of his gesture and wrestled with her emotions, trying to keep them as light and airy as the soft smile that froze on her face. The blond, god-like creature at the back could only be Jasper. Acting braver than she felt, nerves practically humming, Ray met his eyes as she took her seat, pools of melted gold.

Jasper's face looked like it was chiselled out of stone, he blinked periodically, his shoulders rose and fell although Ray couldn't be certain he was breathing and he seemed completely focused on the lesson. She almost resented him a little before realising that was an emotion and quickly trying to correct herself. Her shoulders were bunched and her posture stiff, her mind went into a complete meltdown as the teachers lecture was blocked like sunlight by the dark, impenetrable cloud of anxiety that floated over her all lesson. When Jasper finally swept out on the ring of the bell, Ray released a breath she didn't realise she'd been holding unable to tell whether she had managed to mask her strange emotions from the empath or not.

Time slipped by with a haste matched only by a racehorse or so it seemed to Ray that morning, names and faces became slightly recognisable but she seemed to be drifting through an oddly unfocused daydream. Her edgy, jittery feeling didn't wear off after her impromptu vampire sighting and she spent the majority of her morning drumming her fingers restlessly on a desk or her leg waiting for the lunch period. _It's official, my nerves are shot to shit._

Ray almost ran to lunch, wanting to grab Bella as soon as possible. There was something about this whole thing that put her on edge. She couldn't be sure if it was the uncertainty of how the vampires would react to her presence or just the knowledge that she had sat for an hour next to a living- sort of, possibly breathing creature of the night and lived but something in her gut told her she would feel more comfortable with a familiar face around.

Bella, if her skittish reaction was anything to go by, was reasonably shocked when Ray's slender arm hooked through her own on the way to lunch.

"How's your mornin' gone?" Ray queried, attempting to inject a semblance of normality back into her day.

A high-pitched squeal sounded, scratching at Ray's frayed nerves like nails on a chalkboard.

"What the actual fuck?" She muttered as a tiny girl with dark curly hair that could only be likened to a poodle do in Ray's mind shot out in front of them.

Bella stumbled to a halt, nearly sending both of them splat on their backs. Gripping Bella's arm tightly to her side, Ray managed to steady the duo before turning back to the new face.

"I'm Jessica Stanley. You must be Aurelia." A stretched grin that didn't quite seem to meet the girls' eyes appeared on her face.

Ray nodded. Jessica Stanley from what she could remember was a slightly two-faced gossipy girl, who could have possibly been a good friend if Bella had made a conscious effort. Ray wasn't quite sure whether she was friendship material or whether she was about to make a giant mistake.

Her mother had been a compassionate woman who always tried to see the best in people in both worlds, from what Ray could gather. Taking a leaf from that book and a deep breath, steeling her nerves somewhat she held out a hand. "Nice to meet you."

Jessica shook it with an enthusiasm that couldn't have possibly been faked; Ray wondered for a second whether she'd feel that arm rattling in its socket for days. "You're accent is amazing." Jessica gushed, the corners of her eyes crinkling as she swapped to Ray's other side and ushered them into the lunch room and leading them to a table full of her peers.

Ray contemplated whether this was social suicide or not. She wanted to sit with Bella but not being particularly well-versed in American high-school traditions she didn't know if she should sit with a group of younger students. Honestly what she'd give to be twenty again, in university and free to go with the flow. University students became much less judgy and much more person focused once they'd got fresher's out of their systems.

 _Missing uni._ Ray internally laughed at herself. _Oh how the mighty have fallen._ Just days ago she couldn't wait to leave university for the Christmas break.

With a quick shrug of her shoulders, Ray placed her tray down on the table with Bella and her year mates. Keeping to herself she unwrapped her sandwich, her eyes roaming every inch of it, a firm focused to her gaze, allowing the conversation to ebb and flow around her.

"Who are _they_?" Bella's voice cut through Ray's careful inspection. Though her eyes didn't stray from her sandwich her form became rigid and her fingers ceased all movement.

"That's Emmett and Edward Cullen and Jasper Whitlock. The one who left was Alice Cullen; they all live with Dr Cullen and his wife." Jessica spoke in whispered undertones but Ray caught every words. Her blood suddenly felt like fire in her veins.

 _That isn't right._

"They are… very nice looking." Ray struggled to keep her snort to herself at Bella's drastic understatement, sitting next to Jasper for an hour made Ray more than aware that neither the novels nor the movies did justice to the Cullen clan. The vampires were utterly perfect. Nothing about them could be considered unattractive in even the smallest of ways, works of art, masterpieces, nothing less but perhaps something more.

Ray's thoughts were still deciphering Jessica's speech. "Who's the blonde again?" Ray kept her tone light, her eyes focused on her food.

"Jasper."

"No the other…" Ray's eyes finally snapped up to the Cullen table, her brain catching up with her mouth. _Three boys. Just three boys. Not a blonde bombshell in sight._ Eyes narrowing slightly Ray tugged her bottom lip between her teeth. _Where the hell is Rosalie?_ Edward didn't stir and Ray's tightly wound nerves began to uncoil slightly, he didn't seem to have heard her instinctual thoughts.

"The other who?" Bella's concerned gaze felt hot as it trailed across Ray's cheeks.

Ray shook her head, taking a moment to calm herself before turning to meet Bella's worried brown eyes. "Don't worry about it, I meant Jasper, I just got confused." Bella's lips pressed together and Jessica's eyebrows settled lowly over her eyes. "He's in my history class." It was the only thing she could think of as an explanation.

The brunettes' expressions cleared and Jessica let out a breathy giggle. "And _taken_. He's dating Alice, which is weird right? I mean they _live_ together."

Bella and Jessica continued to chat about the Cullen family dynamics, while Ray allowed her eyes to roam over the vampires in what she hoped was a natural observing way. Edward was devastatingly handsome; the book had that much right. His tousled bronze hair shined under the unflattering lunch room lighting, he was practically the angelic version of a bad boy. Jasper's honeyed locks hadn't moved even slightly out of place since that morning in history, he looked tense, stiff, _thirsty_. Ray's hand trembled slightly as she forced herself to take a bite of her sandwich, mouth dry. Emmett was something more than she expected somehow. Whilst aware that he was going to be equally as gorgeous as the others Ray had always thought of Emmett in the big brother type way, because that's how he was written. Never had a character been done such a disservice in literature before. Emmett was flawless. Exceptional, blemish free, chalky pale skin, dark eyes which seemed to glint with mirth from across the lunch room, dark curly hair equally as stunning as his brothers do's and muscles bulging, his chest, hugely broad, it was a miracle anyone believed him to be a teenager at all.

 _He's built like a brick shithouse._ Ray's eyes widened as they drank in his massive frame, he was smiling looking towards Edward, dimpled cheeks making him look equal parts cute, handsome, sexy and utterly terrifying. His frame began to shake as his dark eyes flickered upwards meeting Ray's. She blanched, looking away quickly.

A strange feeling of dread settled in her gut, the heavy weight of it almost making it impossible for her chest to expand as she filled it with air. _Edward heard me thinking that._ As soon as the thought sparked into her mind a sense that she had never had a truer notion overcame her.

 _Edward I know what you are._ She thought when they didn't react to her thinking about Edward's power. She kept her blue eyes carefully trained on the Cullen men but none of them moved, no one gave anything away. _Jasper's pretty hot too, all lean muscle and mysterious sex appeal._ Edward's lips moved quickly, Jaspers head shot up. Ray fought to keep her face blank. _Interesting._ He seemed to hear whatever didn't have to do with anything she knew from her other world. _Caution remaining, that information could be quite handy._

Snapping herself back to the present, Ray refocused her gaze on Bella and Jessica not wanting to stare too long, no more unnecessary attention from the Cullen's could only be a positive, although she really did need to find out what happened to Rosalie. Any hitches in Ray's plan could be theoretically disastrous and the non-existence of a major character was something rather disastrous indeed. Ray swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. _One Cullen not existing could change everything._

"That's Edward. He's gorgeous, of course, but don't waste your time. He doesn't date. Apparently none of the girls here are good-looking enough for him." Jessica sniffed, crossing her arms and resting her hard eyes on Edward.

Ray suppressed a smile as she traded a knowing glance with Bella. They seemed in agreement that Edward may have turned Jessica down at some point.

"I have another theory." A blond boy, with ice blue eyes and a killer smile piped up. _Mike Newton?_ Ray speculated. "They're gay."

"Don't be fuckin' stupid." The words were out of her mouth before she'd even thought of how she could explain them. All eyes on the table locked onto Ray's face, a mixture of shocked and amused looks clearly displayed on their faces. Ray timidly tucked an ashy blonde strand of hair behind her ear, hand brushing the cartilage piercing and running over her cool, metal, earring. "I mean, the ging'er maybe, but the huge guy? My gaydar is not registering." Booming laughter exploded from Emmett, Ray couldn't be sure if it was her words or their own conversation but either way Edward did not look pleased. He was stiff and his jaw seemed tight. His fists were clenched on the table, knuckles not far from being pure white if she had to take a guess from the tautness displayed in his arms.

"Ging'er?" Bella questioned Ray's strange pronunciation and Ray's insides turned to ice. She had just used an offensive British term for gingers directed at Edward Cullen, the vampire living with an ex-pat.

"Don't ever repeat that." The words seemed to tumble over each other in her haste to spit them out. "Horrible, offensive British term, I'm sorry for ever using it." Her heart felt like it was once again running a marathon.

"British slang, awesome got anymore?"

The three vampire men rose from their table, dropping their food into the bin and replacing their trays the epitome of grace and poise. Ray let out a trembling breath, quickly settling into the conversation with the American teens feeling comfortable for the first time all day.

Just before the bell finally rang to signal the end of lunch, Angela, the quiet dark haired girl offered to answer any questions Bella and Ray had. Ray had only one as she peered down at her schedule. "What the fuck is Calculus?"

* * *

English and Food Tech passed for Ray in much the same way as the rest of the day had, like Sonic the Hedgehog was whizzing her through it. Odd blurs, snatches of conversation and one very burnt batch of cookies were the only things she remembered as she met up with Bella outside building three. Bella walked a slump to her shoulders; head down as the girls made their way towards the office at the end of the day.

"What's up?" Ray used a gentle tone, placing a careful hand on Bella's shoulder, a slight crease in between her eyes both out of genuine concern for Bella's emotional well-being and silent fury that they would have to face Edward again in the office when he had clearly upset Bella so badly.

"I think Edward Cullen hates me." Bella's voice exploded out of her the anger and confusion crackling in her indignant tone and catching Ray by total surprise. "I didn't even speak to him; all he did was glare at me like I smelt funny all through Biology."

Ray tried to keep her voice in check; she stumbled over her words paying careful attention not to sound too sure of herself. "I'm sure it's personal Bella, probably not your issue at all, he can't possibly hate you if he doesn't even know you maybe he's just-"

The door to the office opened and the girls stepped in, Ray mentally cringed making sure to keep her stance as relaxed as possible, arms hanging limply by her side as Edward argued with Mrs Cope about switching Biology. Bella's body seemed to curl in on itself and Ray's whole body flushed with heat as she wrapped a comforting arm around the quiet girl who, a day ago was merely a character in a book to her, and now honestly felt like one of her closest companions. The memories that flooded her mind whenever she looked at Bella filled her with a contentment she had only ever received periodically from her best friend in her original world.

The door opened once more a gust of wind blowing towards the counter, papers ruffling slightly in the wind as a small girl dived in, placed a note in one of the numerous wire baskets and dived out again, all in less than half a second. The effect was immediate. Edward stiffened his muscles tightening, his neck became taut as he turned slowly and fixed Bella with such a hate filled, piercing glare that the tiniest hairs on Aurelia's body stood on end. His dark eyes were malicious and for one split moment Ray forgot everything she knew of Edward and Bella's future, total focus on the current situation. The one in which Edward looked every inch the predator, ready to drain every last drop of blood from Bella's veins.

A quick, hasty, dismissal of the situation slipped from Edward's lips as Ray's eyes remained frozen on his glinting white teeth. Then, as quickly as it had happened, he was gone. Ray took Bella's slip from her quivering hand, returning both Bella's and her own to Mrs Cope, brushed off the red-heads questions on the day with a quick remark on the lovely school and lead Bella from the office. Gently and carefully Ray pried the keys from Bella's vice like grip, huddling her into the passenger side of the truck as she fought the tears welling in her eyes. Ray let out a shuddering breath of her own, convinced the most dangerous part was over for a time, and climbed into the truck, driving both Bella and herself home.

* * *

 **So I hope you all liked it? If you did please drop a review and let me know!**

 **Hope to hear from you all soon,**

 **Rue.**


	2. The Art Of Blending In

Whispers of Fate: The Girl That Never Was

 **Author's Note: My God. I can only apologise. I have this story planned out chapter by chapter and I truly meant to update but I am, (or have recently been), very bad at doing so over the last few years. This fic in particular is a little harder as I've planned the chapters to match with the sequence of events in the book, so as well as adding my own scenes each chapter is genuinely long just covering cannon details, although obviously those will change somewhat as the story progresses. All I can say is that I am sincerely sorry to those of you who were looking forward to this story and I do hope you continue to read it although I have clearly made you wait much too long for an update.**

* * *

Chapter 2: The Art of Blending In

 _Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone. -_ Alan W. Watts

Ray awoke the next morning to a dull grey sky which would have been much more welcome than the sliver of light that had awoken her the previous morning if it wasn't for her stomach rolling as if the acids inside it were the sea during a vicious storm. Would Edward be coming to school today? He wasn't supposed to be that was for sure and one less bloodthirsty vampire to contend with would usually be good news especially during the point of the novel where Edward posed the most serious threat and yet, for all Aurelia knew he could be in school bright eyed and pointy fanged. Rosalie hadn't been at school yesterday after-all, in fact she seemed non-existent which could mean that in this alternate universe Edward would come to school, lose what self-control he'd had the previous day and decide on a Bella smoothie for breakfast. For Ray this seemed like a very uninviting prospect and Bella's morose face when she stumbled down the staircase that morning only added to Ray's anxious feeling. What if he did come to school today? What then?

Bella for her part, looked as if she wanted to go to school about as much as she wanted to swim with great white sharks without a cage and she didn't even know the half of it, looking at it from this perspective it was hard to see how she'd taken the whole undead, bloodsucking, creatures of the night thing in her stride; however, she had, she _would_. Ray tried to assure herself of this, desperately begging her mind to believe that again as they pulled up into the parking lot because as of this moment the only thing seemingly holding Bella together was Ray's (faked) easy smile and Bella needed to keep it together.

Blue eyes darting around the student parking lot as she hopped out of the roaring red beast that was Bella's truck, Ray felt her heartbeat calm some as she noticed the absence of any car which could possibly belong to the Cullens. It was of course possible that the Cullen's just hadn't arrived at school as yet but then, it was also entirely possible that Edward wasn't coming because he was already in Alaska with the Denali coven. Ray prayed it was the latter. Tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear she quickly strode around the truck bed to meet Bella as she all but tumbled from the driver's seat looking rather green. "Now Bells remember…" Ray couldn't help grinning, eyes flashing as she internally chuckled at her own joke, "no one is going to bite you."

The withering look Bella shot the blonde was more than enough to make Ray feel slightly more lighthearted as they trudged towards the small gathering of huts that made up Forks High School. "Well…" Ray searched her mind for something comforting and yet, not too strange to say, anything that might offer Bella some comfort in the day ahead, yet all she could remember about the day from the books was that it was the day Edward hadn't come back to school. "Hope Cullen isn't such a prick today and Bella," Ray placed one hand gently on her cousin's shoulder feeling a tug of affection from the memories which assaulted her again when Bella's deep brown eyes met her own. "I'm sure it wasn't your fault."

Bella's full lips parted for half a second, and Ray was almost positive that Bella intended to rebuff the statement before the ball of energy that was Mike Newton bounded up next to them. "Bella!" He exclaimed happily, throwing an arm around the brunette's shoulder before turning to Ray and greeting her in a much less enthusiastic tone, "Hey England." Ray suppressed a smirk at Bella's wide-eyed shock that Mike was so forthcoming. "Mind if I steal your cousin? Walk her to English and all that?"

The words 'Help Me' were so clearly written across Bella's face that the corner of Ray's lips twitched involuntarily. "By all means, just don't let her fall." Ray swept an arm out towards the entrance to the school or at least, the pathway leading to most of the buildings. Although she could most certainly feel the heat of the glare Bella was sending her way Ray kept her eyes firmly on Mike as she took a step back. "I'll see you at lunch Bells. Have a fantastic day." With the cheesiest fakest smile on her face as she watched Bella pulled into a building by what she was sure was the human version of an energiser bunny, Ray gave a mocking, finger wiggling wave. "Toodles."

Chuckling to herself Ray ran a petite, pale hand through her thick blonde locks before stuffing her hands resolutely in the pockets of her leather jacket, it was time she made her way to her own lesson.

* * *

The morning passed in a bit of a blur for Ray, her classes were all sans vampires which calmed her racing mind and she settled into the strange routine that was American high-school relatively easily. It didn't seem half as bad as all the teen movies had led her to believe but then again this was a particularly small high-school so perhaps she had that to thank. In fact the only bump in Ray's morning was discovering when she took her notebook out in her first class that she'd forgotten to pack herself a lunch which meant trying to navigate American money at lunchtime a prospect she wasn't thrilled about.

Getting into the cafeteria was easy enough. She didn't have the same trouble remembering where things were that Bella had seemed to in the books but then, Ray had a pretty good memory so that was to be slightly expected. The routine to picking out a lunch seemed easy enough too, grabbing a bright red plastic tray Ray followed the other students into the line and placed a sandwich, bright green apple, packet of crisps or, as they were called in America, chips and a fresh bottle of mountain spring water on it. Digging a hand into her pocket for the money she knew was there even though she still hadn't got the foggiest idea where it came from, Ray surveyed the items on her tray carefully. Did you pay tax on school lunch? She couldn't be sure but if you did considering it wasn't already added on the ticketed prices like in England she had no idea how much this was going to cost. _Brilliant_ , she thought, _just what I need, to embarrass myself by holding everyone up._ With a sigh as she stared at the green notes and little coins in her hand Ray pushed her tray slightly further along her stomach clenching.

"How much are you likely to be?" She muttered to the food as if it could actually answer her question. "Is tax a thing I need to work out here? Because if so I'm sure I lack the mathematical ability to do so." Her teeth tugged her full bottom lip between them as she stared at the tray willing it to answer her.

"Three dollars and thirty five cents." Ray's answer came in a tinkling musical voice that reminded her of bells and could only possibly belong to one person.

Heart pounding in her chest, Ray tilted her head sideways to look at the person who'd answered her and was entirely unsurprised to be faced with the small, pixie-like form of Alice Cullen. The books had Alice down pat. She was absolutely tiny, had bright golden eyes, a soft friendly smile, pale unblemished skin and short, choppy, inky black hair which stuck out in every direction and yet still looked impeccably styled. She was wearing a beautiful grey dress which pulled tight under her bust and fanned out afterwards and of course she looked completely gorgeous. What Ray hadn't particularly been expecting was to see the other two Cullen's behind Alice in the line smiling whilst they looked at her. Jasper she already knew would look alluring up close after sitting beside him the day before although she had to admit, he looked a lot more approachable with the friendly smile on his face and Emmett, well Ray still wasn't prepared for Emmett. Unintentionally she ran her eyes over his hulking form, he was massive positively ginormous in fact even placed next to Jasper who wasn't short or lacking in muscle himself, and by god was Emmett attractive. He did have a slight baby face when he smiled, his cute grin only enhanced by the dimples that made him look oddly young and carefree but he was also extremely handsome. Ray once again couldn't help but note internally how much of a disservice Emmett had been done by Stephanie Meyer when it came to descriptions. He was both huge and intimidating whilst also looking playful and sincere and he was easily the most devastatingly handsome man that Ray had seen...well anywhere if she was honest.

Realising she was clearly staring and there was no way the vampires could possibly have missed this a blush wormed its way onto her cheeks as she forced her eyes back to Alice. "Er...thanks." Ray mumbled feeling stupider by the second.

Gulping quietly, she cast her eyes down to the money in her hand again trying to focus on getting enough to pay. Her fingers deftly extracted three dollars and a quarter before the puzzled look flickered across her face again as she stared at the remaining coins realising she had no idea how to make the remaining ten cents. She only had one five and a couple of loose cents which gave her seven and some dimes, _whatever the hell those are_ she thought hopelessly.

"Those are ten." Alice's soft voice pushed through Ray's panic again and a delicate pale finger pointed to the dimes resting on Ray's own pale hand, which when compared to Alice's looked slightly tanned.

"Thanks." Ray mumbled dropping one of the dimes onto her tray with the three dollars and the quarter before stuffing the rest of the money back into the pocket of her jeans. "It says how much they're worth on the coins in England." She added by way of an explanation.

Alice shot her a stunning smile, "That would make things easier," she agreed, "as would already adding the tax."

Ray couldn't help but chuckle at that, of course the vampires had heard her talking to her food about the tax they could probably hear what was happening in the house across the street right about now.

"Yeah it would." Ray returned Alice's smile before tugging at one of her long blonde locks. "Thanks again for the help, I'd have been there all day." She pushed her tray forwards in the line, trying not to think about how easy it was to converse with Alice, she could feel her heartbeat slowing as they went.

"You're Ray."

"I-" Ray stared at Alice for a second, lips parted in shock at the knowing smile playing around Alice's lips, unsure whether she'd heard her announce she preferred Ray or she'd seen so in one of her visions. A slight squeeze in her gut told her it might be the latter. "Yeah, actually, how did you-"

"You're in Jasper's history class." Alice replied with a smile indicating the blonde behind her. "He told me you preferred Ray." Although it was possible they'd heard it somewhere still, Ray didn't think so and she was positive that she hadn't said so in history yesterday. She fought down the urge to shiver, unsure quite how she felt about Alice having possible visions of her.

"Yeah, I er-" Ray shrugged. "Aurelia is a bit of a mouthful."

Alice's lips pressed together in a small grin. "I suppose." Sweeping a hand behind her she pointed at both the boys in turn. "This is Jasper, my boyfriend you met him yesterday and Emmett my brother, I don't think you've met yet."

Ray was at a loss. She wasn't sure how she was supposed to act here, what she was supposed to say, why they were being so nice and why they were even interested in her in the first place. Surely they should be off cursing Bella right now. If she remembered correctly although Rosalie had been the most anti-Bella Cullen Jasper hadn't been thrilled himself and yet, here he was smiling at Ray as if he was already one of her best friends or something which was a stark contrast to the Jasper she'd met yesterday. Her eyes had wandered to Jasper as she thought about everything unbeknownst to her and she realised some of her feelings on the matter must have translated as soon as he spoke.

"I'm sorry about how I acted yesterday." His southern drawl sounded a hell of a lot more pronounced than Ray was expecting knowing from her Twilight knowledge that he hid it a little in public, in fact it seemed as if he wasn't bothering at all right now. "I wasn't feeling very well."

"Oh um," Ray shrugged feeling particularly thrown by this turn of events. "No worries."

"It's nice to meet you." Emmett's voice sounded slightly southern too but more than that it was deep, oddly musical, slightly husky and completely alluring. For the second time in a matter of minutes Ray found herself rendered speechless by the vampire she least expected it from.

When her blue eyes met his honey-gold ones which seemed to dance with excitement, it snapped her back to reality. "Oh yeah you too." She couldn't stop the grin that bloomed in response to his overly excited smile.

"I'm sure you two are going to really like each other." Alice chimed.

Ray was highly grateful that it was her turn to pay as Alice spoke because Alice seeming so sure that Ray and Emmett would get along only caused worry to bloom again in Ray's stomach. With one last nod that she hoped looked natural, Ray turned her back on the odd family and moved, albeit a little shakily towards Bella's table.

* * *

Bella as it turned out provided a welcome distraction from Alice's oddly ominous words because she was still none too happy with Ray for abandoning her this morning. "If you ever leave me alone with Mike again-" Bella whispered sharply as Ray took her seat. "I'll-"

"You'll bite me?" Ray asked smoothly with an impish grin. Bella lightly smacked Ray's shoulder before turning back to her own food.

"I don't think he's here Bells." Ray muttered as the other occupants of their table discussed an upcoming beach trip and Bella became more tense by the second, tugging inconspicuously on her brown hair.

Turning to face Ray Bella asked, "How do you know?" her eyes wide and swimming with worry.

"Because I just bought my lunch in line next to the rest of his family and he wasn't there." Ray took a bite out of her sandwich, chewed swallowed and then continued, "So I guess he could be skulking about in the car or something but honestly I think he's absent."

"It's my fault." Bella mumbled just about loud enough for Ray to make out.

"Now that's ridiculous. What could you possibly have done? And if you say smelled-" Ray warned as Bella's mouth opened to retort. "I will smack you in the head because I know you showered that morning and you smelt of nothing but strawberries." Ray swigged a little of her water. "He's probably just sick or something."

A very small part of Ray felt bad for lying to Bella, really bad and horribly guilty but she'd decided it was best not to interfere too much before she really knew what was going on here and as such it made sense to comfort Bella as much as possible just like she assumed she would have if she had in fact been born in this universe and grown up with Bella for a cousin. Never mind that she couldn't possibly explain to Bella that it was all her fault that Edward was absent even if she was inclined to do so in the middle of the lunchroom with three other vampires sat not even fifty feet away.

So with a slight tug of guilt as lunch finished and Mike whisked Bella away again, Ray headed towards her next lesson trying to come up with advanced rebuffs to all of the ludicrous and yet oddly accurate statements she was sure Bella was going to make later that evening. Pushing her way into the English room however she was horribly distracted by Emmett Cullen who was seated next to the only available desk in the room. _Wonderful._

Mr Berty Ray's English teacher, thankfully didn't make her do the whole awkward introduce yourself to the class routine that she remembered Bella suffering in some of her classes. In fact not one of Ray's teachers had done this yet and Ray wondered whether it was because they were being understanding, in this universe her parents had just died after all, or whether it was because they were worried about her voicing this to the class, either way Ray was glad when all Mr Berty did was click his tongue in acknowledgement of Ray's slight late entry to the classroom, hand her a copy of Romeo and Juliet and pointed her towards the empty seat next to Emmett Cullen.

Ray took one last deep breath to calm her nerves before she headed to the desk and swung herself into the seat next to him. A small flicker of a smile crossing her face as she heard one girl who's name she had yet to learn muttering "Whitlock in History now Cullen in English some people have all the luck." as she passed by.

Emmett looked visibly excited to be seated next to Ray and she wasn't sure if this was purely because of Emmett being an excitable person or because, as she dreaded, Alice had in fact had visions of Ray and Emmett in some capacity or another; so Ray tried her best to ignore Emmett's eyes on her. Once she was seated Ray busied herself with extracting her notebook and pen from her bag and placing them on the desk, when that was done however, she had nothing more to keep her from meeting Emmett's intent gaze.

His eyes seemed overflowing with excitement and Ray felt sure now that it was most certainly Alice that had caused this. "Hey." His grin widened as he spoke making his dimples even more pronounced if that was even possible. "Fancy seeing you here."

Ray smiled despite herself as she took in Emmett's imposing form in the close quarters. He easily took more than half of the desk and she thanked her lucky stars she was small because otherwise this would be a very uncomfortable hour. His curly hair was a shade of brown that reminded Ray of dark chocolate and it looked much too soft to be on top of the head of the behemoth that was Emmett Cullen; the guy's arms looked like they would rip his shirt any second for Christ's sake! "Two seniors sharing a class. Imagine that." Ray drawled sarcastically as she turned to the front again and tried to focus on Mr Berty who was lecturing them on the themes within the play.

Emmett's form seemed to deflate slightly beside her at her sarcastic dismissal and a twinge of guilt shot through Ray's stomach, _I want to go home, getting close to the Cullen's any Cullen despite whatever Alice may have seen is a bad idea._

"Romeo and Juliet. Star-crossed lovers, making fate a major theme in this play can anyone tell us another?" Mr Berty asked, white haired, suited and looking rather strict as he surveyed the class.

"You're very small." Emmett spoke distracting Ray from the lesson.

For her part Ray couldn't have been more shocked, whatever she expected to come from Emmett's mouth that wasn't it.

"Maybe you're just very large." She hissed back, her eyes alight with irritation as she looked at his easy grin.

"I-"

"Mr Cullen?" Mr Berty had zeroed in on their conversation it seemed. "Or are you too distracted by your new desk mate to pay attention?"

Ray decided she didn't like Mr Berty much as the flush blossomed in her cheeks when the class turned to stare at his words. Emmett clenched his fist in his lap, Ray knew because his arm seemed to expand and become larger as the muscles contracted as if Emmett really needed to get any bigger.

"Love." Emmett answered, his tone level and apologetic in direct contrast to his body language. "Of various types, passionate, sensual, physical."

Mr Berty flushed now, his eyes flashing as he turned his gaze on Ray. "Miss Dewolfe another perhaps?"

Now Ray really wanted to bury her head in her hands and hide. She didn't know the themes in Romeo and Juliet she'd studied The Tempest in England. Her lips parted as her blush darkened ready to admit she didn't know just as Emmett whispered his lips not appearing to move at all. "Value and Doubleness, ambiguity, not everything is as it seems both with language and judgements."

Ray was fairly certain she was the only one who heard the whisper and quietly confident that Emmett, who had probably been through high school a thousand times and could likely recite Romeo and Juliet from memory, would know the right answer so she repeated his words. "Value and Doubleness, ambiguity, not everything is as it seems both with language and judgements."

Mr Berty huffed and cleared his throat, "Yes well…"

As the lecture continued and the eyes of the other students left them Ray whispered a quick "Thanks." to Emmett. His wide smile was answer enough and thankfully for the rest of the lesson he didn't try to speak to her.

When the bell rang Ray swept her things into her bag, watching Emmett carefully from the corner of her eye. He seemed to be slowing himself down even more than he already was to match her pace because his books which had still been on the table when Ray put hers in her bag were gone a second later and safely zipped into his own school bag.

"What class have you got next?" He asked with a grin as she attempted to move around him to leave the room.

Ray bit her tongue to stop a sarcastic 'what's it to you?' from leaving her lips as she finally managed to dodge around him although she had to concede he'd most likely let her. "Chemistry." She mumbled, striding as quickly as she could from the room.

It seemed to Ray the rest of the day wherever she went Emmett wasn't far behind despite sharing no other classes with her, he kept popping up and attempting to make conversation which she'd either answer with one word or ignore completely. Her shoulders bunched more and more as the day wore on and she found herself wishing desperately for an early ending, as she became more and more annoyed with trying to avoid the persistent man wherever she went. Ray blithely noticed Alice and Jasper regarding her with frowns throughout the rest of the day too whenever they passed in the halls and Ray couldn't help but feel the walls were pressing in on her. She'd never been so happy to hear the shrill ending bell when it rang that afternoon. As quickly as humanly possible she'd packed away her things and darted out to the truck where she stood impatiently tapping her foot until Bella arrived five minutes later looking a lot less tense that she had at lunch. Ray took that to mean Edward had in fact not been at school today.

Bella unlocked the truck and both girls climbed in Ray twiddling the heat so that when Bella turned the truck on it would begin to warm up as Bella dug through her bag. "What are you looking for exactly?"

"I'm just making sure I have the money and the list." Bella mumbled in response. "We're going shopping."

"Oh." Ray's eyes scanned the car park as Bella finally left her bag alone, started the truck with a twist of the key causing the engine to come to life with a roar and backed into the line of students waiting to leave the school.

Ray was fairly certain by this point, with no mention yet of Edward that he hadn't been at school today, but she didn't want to assume considering she'd also assumed Rosalie existed and had been wrong so she decided to ask. "Edward absent?"

"Yeah." Bella replied sounding distracted as she stared at something across the parking lot. "Doesn't it seem unfair that they're all so attractive and also exceptionally well dressed?"

Ray followed Bella's line of sight to the shiny silver Volvo across the lot where Alice, Jasper and Emmett were getting into their car. "I dunno." She rubbed her nose as she watched, slightly amazed that Emmett even fit into the back seat of the Volvo. "Never really thought about it," feeling Bella's eyes on her face as Alice disappeared into the passenger seat Ray turned to face her cousin. "I suppose so. Not that I think I dress badly thanks." She grinned taking a quick glance down at her own outfit.

Bella smiled back as she began to drive out of the lot. "You don't I just-uh never mind. Let's go get some food before we starve."

* * *

When they got home Bella busied herself with preparing dinner whilst Ray began reading through Romeo and Juliet and making notes to prepare for her essay on the themes due on Friday. When her cousin appeared again in their room, Ray was sprawled on her front across her green bedspread tongue caught between her teeth as she thought. Bella settled onto the chair in front of the old, (to Ray anyway), slow computer and started it up. "Mind if I use that after you Bells?"

Bella shook her head. "No, I just need to reply to Mom and then it's all yours." She swivelled the chair around to look at Ray whilst she waited. "Homework?"

"An essay on the themes in Romeo and Juliet for English on Friday." Ray dropped her pen onto the notebook with a thunk and rested her chin in her hands. "My teacher hates me."

Bella snorted, swivelling the chair back around to face the computer again. "He does not."

"He does." Ray mumbled as she picked her pen up once more. "I'm telling you he hates me." Bella didn't answer, but her fingers clacking away at the keys told Ray she was likely too focused on calming down her mother to actually form a response. "Tell Aunt Renee I say hi."

"'Kay."

The girls worked in relative silence until Charlie returned, or at least Ray worked whilst Bella laid on the bed reading Wuthering Heights again which Ray was sure Bella would have done for fun even if it hadn't been the text her class were studying in English. When the tell-tale click of the door announced Charlie's arrival Bella hurried from the room as Ray continued to clack away at her essay. At this rate she'd have it finished by dinner and that seemed like the best option considering she really needed her evenings free to decide what to do about this situation she found herself in. At best she needed to get to a library and find out if Rosalie had existed and married that asshole from the books before she could form any other sort of plan. So with that in mind she continued to type until Bella's head popped round the door. "Dinner's ready Ray." Bella announced. "You almost finished?"

"One sec." Ray finished her rather loose conclusion hastily and clicked print and then stood from the chair stretching and making her back pop. "Done. What's for dinner?"

"Steak and potatoes." Bella replied as they walked down the stairs together.

"I love you Bells you know that?" Ray asked wrapping an arm around her cousin and squeezing as they turned into the kitchen, slightly surprised to find she didn't even seem to be lying, whatever memories she'd gained from being here she'd also gained feelings and she did indeed love Bella.

"Yeah well," Bella shrugged Ray off as she sat down at the table on Charlie's right side, whilst Ray made her way around to take her seat opposite. "if we let you cook the house wouldn't survive."

"Bella!" Charlie admonished with a slight grin as he began cutting his steak.

"Nah she's right Uncle C. I would be an abominable housewife." Ray chuckled.

They ate in silence for a few minutes and Ray found herself thankful again that she'd landed in a place where she could live with the two most socially awkward people in the universe because it gave her time to think. With half an ear open catching the conversation that Charlie began with Bella about school Ray pondered her situation again. She was starting to believe after two nights of sleep and Alice's reaction today that it was less and less likely she was in a coma which really meant she'd switched universes the how and why still escaped her though and there didn't seem to be any way to figure that out at this particular moment. Her attention was finally pulled back to the conversation at hand when Bella asked hesitantly, "Do you know the Cullen family?"

Ray watched Charlie's face for his reaction wondering if perhaps any of this would have changed from what she remembered. "Dr. Cullen's family sure. Dr. Cullen's a great man."

"They...the kids...are a little different. They don't seem to fit in very well at school."

Charlie's face reddened and his moustache bristled as his eyebrows yanked down into a frown. "People in this town." He muttered. "Dr. Cullen is a brilliant surgeon who could probably work in any hospital in the world, make ten times the salary he gets here," Charlie's voice continued to raise as he spoke. "We're lucky to have him - lucky that his wife wanted to live in a small town. He's an asset to the community, and all four of those kids are well behaved and polite. I had my doubts when they first moved in with all of those adopted teenagers. I thought we might have some problems with them. But they're all very mature - I haven't had one speck of trouble from any of them. That's more than I can say for the children of some folks who have lived in this town for generations. And they stick together the way a family should - camping trips every other weekend….Just because they're newcomers people have to talk."

Ray felt slightly bemused. On the one hand that was almost word for word what she remembered Charlie to have said to Bella in the book, on the other it was also the most she'd ever heard him say and the longer she was here the more attached she felt to what was happening. Already after just three days seeing Charlie so worked up that he could speak that much in one go on one subject made her smile.

"They seemed nice enough to me. I just noticed they keep to themselves." Bella paused before continuing. "They're all very attractive."

"You should see the doctor." Charlie said with a chuckle. "It's a good thing he's happily married. A lot of the nurses at the hospital have a hard time concentrating on their work with him around." His head turned to face Ray who was watching the exchange with a small smile. It wasn't every day you got to see your favourite story playing out in front of your eyes. "What do you think Ray?"

Ray started and almost knocked over her drink. "Oh um-" She shrugged. "I have History with Jasper and English with Emmett, and er… Alice helped me with my money at lunch today. They seem nice." She mumbled, trying to avoid Bella's shocked stare.

Charlie nodded, obviously satisfied with that answer and dinner continued in silence. When they'd all finished Charlie cleared the table and Ray washed the dishes while Bella dried.

"You didn't tell me you'd spoken to them." Bella hissed as soon as Charlie had left the room.

"She told me what a dime was worth and their names, Emmett asked me what class I had next and helped me in English and Jasper apologised for being rude in History the day before. I didn't particularly consider it noteworthy." Ray passed Bella a plate as she began washing the next one. "Besides I didn't think you'd want to know what with…" She trailed off.

That effectively ended the conversation as Bella clearly had no reply and the girls finished washing up in silence before trudging back up to their room for the evening. "Any more homework?" Bella asked as they both moved towards their respective school bags, Ray grabbing the essay from the printer as she went.

"Maths." Ray announced with a groan, Bella shot her cousin a sympathetic smile and both girls settled to work on their respective assignments, happy in each other's quiet company.

* * *

For the rest of the week all Ray could think about was the trip to the town library she and Bella had planned for Saturday. No matter how much she tried to relax, even just sit down and bond with her 'cousin' for a little while, she just could not make her mind stop. Every waking second she was thinking about what the possibility of Rosalie Hale not being a vampire could mean for the story and for herself; whenever she was asleep she was taunted with images of Rosalie, no matter what she tried her brain was hot-wired that finding Rosalie was the key to her returning home so the sooner she got to the library the better.

Saturday turned out to be a disappointment of astronomical proportions. When Stephanie Meyer had written that Bella had found the Forks library 'poorly stocked' she hadn't quite encompassed quite how tiny the library really was. A small brick building, perhaps the size of the lounge room of a one bedroom apartment the Forks library contained nothing but shoddy romance novels, a few books which might be helpful for a book report, books on the town history, books on hobbies and one very old although reasonably friendly librarian who was possibly using the first computer every functioning from one tower and a large non-flatscreen monitor. It became clear almost immediately that this was not going to be the research hub Ray had been praying for. At the very least she'd been hoping to be able to hop on a computer and search for any record of Rosalie while Bella browsed, walking into the library however, Ray's nose had immediately crinkled as her lips turned down in a frown as she surveyed the room. This place would offer no help that was for sure.

After the terrible weekend which, much to Ray's constant amusement, Bella seemed to have highly enjoyed, when she wasn't chewing Ray's ear off about what may or may not have happened to Edward Cullen, Monday was turning out to be another abominable day. One week ago she had arrived, one whole week and she hadn't gotten anywhere. So as Ray stomped through the snow on the way to lunch it was fair to say she was in a foul temper, slamming herself into her seat Ray stared at her food, picking bits of her sandwich, rolling the bread between her fingers and then dropping it onto the table with a huff of frustration every other second. Putting the food down as she heard Bella and her friends approaching, Ray pushed both of her hands into the thick front of her tangled blonde locks and gripped tightly to her skull as if she were holding on for dear life. Her body ached, her mind ached, her eyelids felt heavy, everything sounded loud and now she was hit with the overwhelming urge to bang her head against the table. Nothing was going right.

Ray barely noticed when Bella and the others settled down at the table, hardly paid any mind to the conversation and would have sworn until she was blue in the face that she wasn't hearing it at all if it wasn't for Jessica's high voice making her wince and finally pulling her out of her own world. "Bella what are you staring at?"

Ray, feeling the muscles in her neck protesting at the effort of lifting her head looked up, letting her eyes flit from Bella's face to where they rested on the Cullens. All four Cullens. Edward was back. Letting out a barely audible moan she dropped her face back into her hands; of course that _had_ to be today. Surreptitiously sneaking her hands up so they covered her ears she tried to block out all the noise she could until after lunch, she had English this afternoon, instead of Spanish which usually she would be glad of but dealing with two Cullens in one day was way more than Ray was prepared to handle.

When the end of lunch bell finally sounded and Ray had managed to somehow drag herself to the English lesson and fall into her seat she gently rested her head on her notebook, hoping that for today at least, Emmett would leave her alone.

Mr Berty had everyone pass their papers back to each other and surprisingly, Emmett gently nudged Ray's tired form when theirs reached them, carefully placing hers on the desk as Ray struggled to make her eyes focus on the red pen. One thing stood out to Ray very clearly as she dragged her eyes across the page, Mr Berty clearly had some problems with her paper if the amount of red was anything to go by. Forcing herself to focus she tried to decipher what exactly the problem was, his comment at the end praised her understanding of the themes so what had she done wrong, flipping the paper back to the first page making a loud rustle as she did she focused on the words he'd circled, firmly ignoring the 'D' scrawled in the corner. She wasn't accepting that was a real grade until she found significant reason for it. To Ray it just looked like he had circled words, peering down, puzzled, her brows drawn together and her lips twisted she shook her head as she stared at the paper, maybe she was seeing it wrong?

"Ah yes," Mr Berty announced loudly making Ray jump slightly as she lifted her head to see him staring right at her from the front of the class before her head dropped back down to rest on the desk. "Dewolfe, your essay is littered with spelling errors."

Ray was done, emotionally spent. Judging from the weight of her eyelids and the effort she was expending keeping herself upright, Ray was actually emotionally and physically _overdrawn_. The week had been hell. Bella had been moping through Edward's absence even though the guy seemed psycho the one and only time they'd met so far, Alice Cullen had been following Ray everywhere attempting to convince her to talk to Emmett and Jasper watched Ray with a look which was either, I'm going to rip your throat out or, you're mildly more interesting than the other humans here. A teacher complaining about the use of Standard English spelling was the last thing she needed. "If you have a problem with the Queen's English sir I suggest you take it up with the Queen." Ray's voice was void of emotion, her head, which was resting on the table was throbbing.

The class broke into snickers. Unfortunately Mr Berty was not as amused. "What was that Miss Dewolfe?" His tone clearly implying that repeating herself would be the wrong option.

Ray didn't even bat an eye, lifting her head ever so slightly so she could look at the teacher as she spoke, voice still void of emotion but much louder now Ray responded. "I said, that you should endeavour to contact the Queen sir, since you seem to take such issue with her language."

The colour rose, slowly at first, a deep red seeped up Mr Berty's neck and the vein in his temple seemed to throb until his head resembled an over engorged tomato. "Out." He snapped, spittle flying from the corners of his mouth as he did so. "Get out."

"Gladly." Ray mumbled, snatching her still packed bag in one hand and her essay in the other, she marched from the room without taking one look back.

At first Ray thought he might mean for her to wait outside the classroom but within seconds she had come to the conclusion that she didn't much care. A strange weightlessness seemed to lift her from the inside out as she focused on something other than her ridiculous situation for more than five seconds for the first time in a week. She practically felt as if she was floating on a haze of anger as she marched out of the building and over to the building Bella was currently in. She was going to get the truck keys and she was going to spend the rest of the day laying in the cab, teachers be damned.

Reaching the door she didn't hesitate as she shouldered her way into the building, found Bella's classroom and knocked as loudly as she possibly could, the "come in" had barely dropped from the teachers tongue before Ray was standing in front of Bella and consequently Edward Cullen. "Keys." Ray growled holding her hand out in front of Bella, whose hair had become rather tousled and windblown and who seemed to be perfecting her Bambi impression from the look of wide eyed surprise she fixed on Ray.

"I-Ray-Wha-"

"Keys." Ray repeated. "I'll tell you later."

Bella nodded, hurriedly and jerkily as she fished through her bag, yanked the keys out with a loud jangling sound and dropped them into Ray's hand. "Ray are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." Ray fixed Bella with an award winning grin before slapping the paper she'd had returned down in front of her. "That might explain. If you need me I'll be in the truck." Spinning on her heel Ray marched towards the door, taking one last second to look back over her shoulder at the stunned junior class and their teacher. "Don't wake me unless you're dying."

A warm feeling bubbled in Ray's gut as she sloshed through the slush the snow was slowly turning into, not diminishing even a little until she was curled up nicely on the seat in the cab of Bella's truck feeling sleepier than she had since she'd first arrived.

* * *

 **Again I apologise for the wait. I hope it is shaping up to be worth it. I'm really trying to put a huge amount of thought into this one and I pray it pays off.**

 **Thoughts and comments are always appreciated.**

 **Rue :)**


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